Matembele (Sweet Potato Leaf Stew)
A hearty and flavorful stew made from tender sweet potato leaves, simmered with onions, peppers, and often chicken or fish, creating a rich and comforting dish.
🧂 Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Whole chicken(about 3 pounds 5 ounces, cut into pieces)
- 1 large Onion(peeled and halved for boiling chicken)
- 3 pods Cardamom pods(for boiling chicken)
- 2 leaves Bay leaves(for boiling chicken)
- 2 kg Fresh sweet potato leaves(about 4.5 pounds, leaves only, stems discarded)
- 177 ml Palm oil(or 3/4 cup)
- 1 kg Onions(finely chopped)
- 3 large Red pili pili peppers or red habaneros(or to taste, finely chopped)
- 4 cubes Chicken bouillon cubes
- Salt(to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Rinse the chicken and place it in a large pot. Add enough water to cover, then bring to a boil over high heat. Add the halved onion, cardamom pods, and bay leaves. Spoon off any foam that appears. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and fall-off-the-bone tender (about 2 hours).
- 2
While the chicken simmers, wash, drain, and roughly chop the sweet potato leaves.
- 3
Remove the chicken from the pot with a slotted spoon, debone, and strip the meat into medium-sized pieces. Set the broth aside.
- 4
In a large stockpot, heat the palm oil over medium-high heat. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté until translucent.
- 5
Add the chopped sweet potato leaves in batches, tossing and sautéing until wilted.
- 6
Pour 710 ml (3 cups) of the reserved chicken broth over the wilted sweet potato leaves. Add the chicken strips and chicken bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
- 7
Stir in the chopped pili pili or habanero peppers. Season with salt to taste. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for another 30 minutes, or until the stew has thickened.
- 8
Serve hot, traditionally with white rice or fufu.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓If fresh sweet potato leaves are unavailable, spinach or jute leaves can be used as a substitute, though the flavor will differ.
- ✓Adjust the amount of chili peppers to your spice preference.
- ✓Red palm oil is traditional and adds a unique flavor and color. If unavailable, a neutral vegetable oil can be used.
🔄 Variations
- For a non-chicken version, smoked fish can be used instead. Soak and rinse the smoked fish before adding it to the stew in the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Some variations include adding diced eggplant to the stew during the simmering process.